The present invention relates generally to alarm systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to alarm systems with enhanced performance to reduce nuisance alarms.
In conventional alarm systems, nuisance alarms (also referred to as false alarms) are a major problem that can lead to expensive and unnecessary dispatches of security personnel. Nuisance alarms can be triggered by a multitude of causes, including improper installation of sensors, environmental noise, and third party activities. For example, a passing motor vehicle may trigger a seismic sensor, movement of a small animal may trigger a motion sensor, or an air-conditioning system may trigger a passive infrared sensor.
Conventional alarm systems typically do not have on-site alarm verification capabilities, and thus nuisance alarms are sent to a remote monitoring center where an operator either ignores the alarm or dispatches security personnel to investigate the alarm. A monitoring center that monitors a large number of premises may be overwhelmed with alarm data, which reduces the ability of the operator to detect and allocate resources to genuine alarm events.
As such, there is a continuing need for alarm systems that reduce the occurrence of nuisance alarms.